Bussola

What Bussola does

Bussola AG is a Swiss family care services organization (Dienstleistungsangebote in der Familienpflege, DAF) founded in 1999 and headquartered in Wil SG, Switzerland. The company places children and adolescents who cannot remain in their original family environment with approximately 35–40 vetted guest or foster families (Gast- und Pflegefamilien) in Eastern and German-speaking Switzerland, distinguishing short-term crisis interventions (Gastfamilie) from medium- to long-term placements (Pflegefamilie). Bussola provides process-oriented guidance, counseling, and 24/7 support to children, biological parents, foster families, and referring authorities throughout the placement lifecycle, operating under cantonal supervision by the Amt für Soziales Kanton St.Gallen and holding ISO 9001:2015 certification since 2006.

The organization is staffed by a small professional team (1–10 employees) led by Geschäftsführer Johannes Kapp, Deputy CEO/QM Ingrid Gehrig, and Head of Administration Nicole Brülisauer, supported by social work specialists. Core technology is limited to standard case-management IT and Swiss-hosted data systems; there is no proprietary platform, mobile application, or AI/ML capability. Revenue is generated exclusively through government-funded mandates issued by cantonal child protection authorities (KESB), professional curators (Berufsbeistandschaften), youth prosecution offices, and related public-sector bodies, with compensation to foster families administered under cantonal binding guidelines. GTM motion is field-sales/referral-driven, with no commercial marketing or transactional pricing; the organization supplements operations through research collaborations with ZHAW, OST, and Universität Siegen, and through memberships in IGQK and IG DAF Ost.

Name

Bussola

Legal name

Bussola AG

Website

https://bussola.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bussola AG is a Swiss, ISO 9001-certified foster family placement organization, founded in 1999 in Wil SG, placing children and adolescents in approximately 35–40 vetted foster families in Eastern Switzerland through cantonal government mandates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Foster Care and Family Social Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Foster family placement
• Crisis intervention services
• Child welfare social services
• Family care support
• Professional supervision

Headquarters

HQ city

Wil

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded placement services: Bussola receives mandates from cantonal child protection authorities (KESB), professional curators (Beistände), and youth welfare offices. Services are funded through government contracts and cost approvals. The organization requires parental consent, civil law or youth criminal rulings, and cost coverage authorization before placements begin.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bussola AG is a Swiss social services organization that places children and adolescents who cannot remain in their original family environment into carefully vetted guest (Gastfamilie) or foster (Pflegefamilie) families in Eastern Switzerland. The organization provides process-oriented guidance, counseling, and 24/7 professional support throughout the placement, distinguishes between short-term crisis interventions and medium- to long-term foster placements, and coordinates among children, parents, foster families, and commissioning authorities (KESB, Beistände). Services are commissioned by cantonal and municipal authorities and delivered under ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management.

Product overview

Bussola is a social services organization specializing in foster family placement and care for children and youth in crisis situations. The organization operates as a unified service offering centered around facilitating and supporting placements in guest and foster families, with complementary services including crisis intervention, professional guidance for foster families, and coordination with authorities. The core offering consists of matching children and youth with suitable foster families, providing ongoing professional support throughout the placement, and ensuring 24/7 availability for crisis situations. The organization does not offer modular or add-on products but rather delivers integrated services as a complete foster care solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foster Family Placement Services Core service enabling children and youth who cannot live in their original family environment to be placed with a guest (Gastfamilie) or foster family (Pflegefamilie) in Eastern Switzerland, with process-oriented guidance, counseling, and ongoing support during the stay. Intended for cantonal child protection authorities, professional curators, and families referred through official mandates.
• Crisis Intervention Services Professionally supervised short-term placements in a guest or foster family during critical family situations, including emergency intake (Notaufnahme), time-out, and bridging/transition (Überbrückung) placements until a follow-up solution is found. Designed for authorities and families needing immediate out-of-home care.
• Professional Foster Family Support Continuous exchange and personal contact between foster families and Bussola's specialist staff, who are reachable 365 days a year around the clock. Includes counseling, professional guidance, training, and crisis management support for contracted foster families.
• Network of Foster Families Curated and standardized intake-managed pool of approximately 35–40 guest and foster families in Eastern Switzerland, carefully selected and operating under cantonal supervision; the network is matched to individual child needs and forms the supply foundation for Bussola's placement services.

Quantifiable outcome

• High satisfaction among children and adolescents, as evidenced by internal surveys and independent research by FHS St.Gallen (2013)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IG DAF Ost (Interessengemeinschaft DAF Ost)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Bussola is an active member of IG DAF Ost, an interest group of foster care service providers (Dienstleistungsangebote in der Familienpflege, DAF) in Eastern Switzerland. The group promotes open, trustworthy exchange among member organizations and supports joint visibility and professional development.
• IGQK (Interessengemeinschaft für Qualität im Kindesschutz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Since 2023, Bussola has been a member of IGQK, a Swiss association that promotes exchange between professionals, institutions, and authorities, and is committed to advancing and ensuring quality in Swiss child protection. Bussola participates in quality workshops and exchanges with researchers from ZHAW and other institutions.
• KIDcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola cooperates with KIDcare as one of several DAF organizations working in the field of foster family placement.
• Kinder- und Jugendhilfe St.GallenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola works with Kinder- und Jugendhilfe St.Gallen as part of the DAF network.
• Pflegekinder St.GallenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola cooperates with Pflegekinder St.Gallen within the foster care DAF network.
• Sozialpädagogische Fachstelle SGhminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola works with Sozialpädagogische Fachstelle SGh as part of the foster care service provider network.
• TipitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola cooperates with Tipiti as a partner DAF organization in Eastern Switzerland.
• Umsprung – Soziale ArbeitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola partners with Umsprung – Soziale Arbeit as part of the DAF network.
• Fachstelle WegwarteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola collaborates with Fachstelle Wegwarte as a DAF partner organization.
• Netzwerk FamilieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola works with Netzwerk Familie as part of the DAF foster care service provider network.
• YOUVITA – Branchenverband der Dienstleister für Kinder und JugendlicheminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola is listed as a general link to the industry association for child and youth service providers.
• Swiss Infosec AGminorOthersSwiss Infosec AG serves as Bussola's data protection advisor (Datenschutzberater), located at Centralstrasse 8A, 6210 Sursee. They provide guidance on data privacy compliance under Swiss data protection law.
• ZHAW (Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola is directly involved as a project partner in the ZHAW research project 'Bilder der Pflegefamilie und ihre Wirkung auf Kooperationsprozesse' (Images of Foster Families and Their Impact on Cooperation Processes). Bussola also participates in ZHAW's 'Pflegekinder – Next Generation' project, gaining insights for improving foster family support.
• OST – Ostschweizer FachhochschuleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola attended the quality workshop on 'gute Begleitung' at OST and exchanged with researchers. Melanie Bamert's master's thesis on school integration of foster children was published via OST's 'Weiterwissen' blog.
• Universität Siegen – Forschungsgruppe PflegekindercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBussola collaborated with Prof. Dr. Klaus Wolf's research group at Universität Siegen on multiple occasions, including a symposium on foster family intervention (2015) and return processes of foster children (2016). Bussola also signed the Siegener Erklärung on continuity in foster children's biographies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Integras: Swiss professional association for residential and foster-care service providers; comparable as the industry-wide incumbent whose conferences and standards shape the operating environment in which Bussola competes.
• PACH Pflege- und Adoptivkinder Schweiz: National Swiss umbrella organization for foster and adopted children, comparable as a higher-coverage incumbent operating across all cantons with overlapping mission in family-based child welfare.
• Pro Juventute: Large Swiss child-welfare foundation offering adjacent family-support and child-protection services nationally; comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same government-funded child and family services space.

Direct peers

• Umsprung – Soziale Arbeit: Partner DAF organization cooperating with Bussola on foster family placement and support in Eastern Switzerland under similar cantonal mandate structures.
• KIDcare: Swiss DAF organization explicitly listed as a partner of Bussola, providing foster family placement and support services with the same government-mandated delivery model.
• Fachstelle Wegwarte: Eastern Switzerland DAF partner organization cooperating with Bussola in the regional foster care service provider network with overlapping family-placement offerings.
• Pflegekinder St.Gallen: Cantonal foster-family placement service for Kanton St.Gallen, directly comparable to Bussola in geography, service scope (Gast-/Pflegefamilie placement), and government-funded DAF model.
• Tipiti: Partner DAF organization in Eastern Switzerland offering foster-family placement services under comparable cantonal supervision, serving as a direct alternative for KESB referrals.

Regional players

• Kinder- und Jugendhilfe St.Gallen: Cantonal child and youth welfare authority/organization in St.Gallen working in the same DAF network as Bussola, with overlapping responsibility for foster-care pathways in the same region.
• Sozialpädagogische Fachstelle SGh: Regional socio-pedagogical service provider collaborating with Bussola within the DAF network, with comparable social-pedagogical staffing and family-support offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bussola